Thomas More’s Utopia is a work of ambiguous dualities that forces the reader to question More’s

real view on the concept of a utopian society. However, evidence throughout the novel suggests that
More did intend Utopia to be the “best state of the commonwealth.” The detailed description of
Utopia acts as Mores mode of expressing his humanistic views, commenting on the fundamentals of
human nature and the importance of reason and natural law, while gracefully combining the two
seemingly conflicting ideals of communism and liberalism. The presence of satirical irony and
contradiction clearly defines Utopia as an unobtainable goal, though goal that all societies must
pursue nonetheless.

Another facet of the Renaissance humanist values includes the importance of reason and intellectual
exploration. More seems to specifically highlight this when describing his Utopian society. For
example, More describes Utopians spending idle time participating in scholarly activities, such as
attending public lectures and their natural enjoyment of learning. However, More clearly asserts the
significance of reason when describing the religions of Utopia. In Utopia, each religion is
fundamentally the same, each guided of nature and what is natural. Doing what nature intends,
which is established through reason, is the true way of worshipping God, according to the Utopians
(More, 2011, p. 2011). This is consistent with the humanist theory of a higher, absolute natural law
created by God and thus must be followed by man. In order discover this natural law, one must use
reason. With this in consideration, it apparent that More intentionally created Utopia to represent a
society of humanists, one that is adheres to all aspects of Renaissance humanism without fault.

Thomas More’s detailed and thoughtful creation of Utopia truly serves as an example of the perfect
state. The presence of his own humanist ideas, including the variability of human nature and the
importance of reason suggest that Utopia is a translation of his own beliefs, while inclusion of satire
and contradiction distinctly marks Utopia as unattainable, yet noble and beneficial goal that society
should strive to work towards.